Collins, Einhorn, Farrell PC is pleased to announce that attorney Melanie T. Frazier has joined the firm's General & Automotive Liability practice group.
Frazier focuses her practice in all areas of general liability defense. She has handled premises liability, construction accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, employment law issues, explosions, PIP, and many other types of insurance defense matters. Her background includes handling death cases, amputations, burn cases, and sexual assault matters. She has also handled trademark, trade secret, and patent litigation as lead counsel and local counsel. Frazier has taken more than 100 cases to jury verdict throughout Michigan. She has also served as a case evaluator in Wayne County, a defense arbitrator, and facilitator.
Frazier received her law degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1986. She then went on to earn a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2008. Throughout her career, Frazier has received numerous recognitions in the legal community, including Lawyers of Distinction, DBusiness Top Lawyers, America's Top 100 Attorneys, and America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
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Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss PC is pleased to announce that Joshua Borson, Nicole Meisner, Michelle Rubin, and May Saad have ben named partners at the firm. Jaffe CEO Jeffrey M. Weiss made the announcement.
An attorney in the Emerging & Growth Business, Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities & Corporate Governance practice groups, Joshua Borson helps business leaders navigate complex legal issues and empowers them to grow their company through effective, strategic business planning. He works with clients to offer proactive counsel and drive results to support business goals.
In addition to his role at Jaffe, he is a member of the board of directors for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's NEXTGen Board and is a mentor for the University of Michigan Football Alumni Network.
Borson has also been recognized as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up & Coming Lawyer (2016), a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star (2017-2019), Jewish News 36 Under 36 (2019) and a DBusiness Top Lawyer (2018-2019).
Borson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in economics from the University of Michigan. He earned his law degree from Wayne State University.
An attorney in the Electronic Payments Law practice group, Nicole Meisner advises business leaders on contractual and compliance matters involving the impacts of dynamic state and federal regulations and industry rules, the structure of flow-of-funds and the creation of strategic business relationships to mitigate legal risks.
Meisner is actively involved with payment industry organizations and has presented and written on issues involving the intersection of money transmission and payment processing. She has been recognized by the Electronic Transactions Association ("ETA") as a Young Payment Professional Scholar (2018), Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2018, 2019) and a Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2016, 2017). She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and The Florida Bar.
Meisner earned a Bachelor of Arts from Florida Atlantic University, an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University.
An attorney in the Estate & Wealth Planning practice group, Michelle Rubin works closely with individuals and families to provide personalized solutions for their estate and tax planning needs. She collaborates with clients and their advisors to prepare and implement strategies for wealth transfer, business succession, charitable giving and estate planning that effectively and efficiently meet client personal and financial goals.
In addition to her role at Jaffe, Rubin serves on the board of directors Hebrew Free Loan, an organization that provides financial support to Jewish people in the state of Michigan through interest-free loans.
Rubin was recently named to the Jewish News 36 Under 36 list (2019) and honored as a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up & Coming Lawyer (2018).
Rubin earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Michigan and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
An attorney in the Real Estate practice group, May Saad represents owners, developers, operators and investors in all aspects of commercial real estate, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, joint ventures, leasing, restructurings and workouts.
Saad has consistently been recognized as a Super Lawyers Michigan Rising Star (2014-2019).
Saad earned a bachelor's degree in comparative law from Filiere Francophone de Droit in Beirut, Lebanon and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School.
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Cantor Colburn LLP welcomes the new year with the promotion of attorney Ian M. Wasser to Counsel.
Wasser, is a registered patent attorney focused on preparing patent applications and managing their domestic and international prosecution. Wasser 's patent practice is in the chemical arts with a focus on polymers, materials science, and nanotechnologies. He primarily serves clients who are developing thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, high performance specialty chemicals, electronic materials including LED and semiconductor materials, automotive technologies, medical devices, and rechargeable batteries.
In addition, he has experience evaluating and designing around existing products and patents, and has counseled clients on matters of infringement, patentability, validity, and strategic patent portfolio management.
Wasser has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.
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Nine attorneys have earned promotions at Kitch, officials from the firm announced recently.
Carina Kraatz, a specialist in commercial litigation, has been named a principal of the firm.
Promoted to associate principal were Amanda Kakos, auto/PIP litigation, and Brandon Koppin, auto/PIP litigation.
Named as senior associates at Kitch were Kaitlyn Carr, commercial litigation; Jesse DePauw, appellate; Matthew Garrett, immigration; Farah Israel, medical malpractice; Paul Shailor, auto/PIP litigation; and Alana Silver, auto/PIP litigation.
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Bodman PLC is pleased to announce that labor and employment attorney Katherine F. Cser has joined the firm as a senior associate.
Cser is a member of Bodman's Workplace Law Group and is based in the firm's Troy office.
She focuses her practice on counseling employers on compliance with state and federal labor and employment laws and represents them in resolving a broad range of workplace disputes. She has represented management before state and federal courts and agencies in cases involving allegations of discrimination and retaliation, violation of wage and hour and medical leave laws, and many other employment-related issues. She also represents corporate clients of all sizes in litigation involving restrictive covenants, use of intellectual property, and related tort claims, and has experience conducting anti-harassment training sessions.
Cser began her legal career in New York, where she practiced with a national labor and employment law firm. She is admitted to practice in both Michigan and New York.
Cser received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School and her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She has been recognized by both Metro New York Rising Stars and Michigan Rising Stars as a leading practitioner for employment and labor matters.
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Senior attorney Sean W. Walsh recently joined the Commercial Litigation Practice Group of Plunkett Cooney.
A member of the firm's Bloomfield Hills office, Walsh focuses his litigation practice in the areas of business insolvency, bankruptcy, employment law, intellectual property, real estate law and commercial financing transactions.
Walsh represents business entities, stakeholders, officers and directors, among others, in an array of industries, including healthcare, construction, banking, automotive component part manufacturing and supply, to name a few.
Admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan, Walsh received his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1993. He received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and is fluent in Spanish.
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Clark Hill recently announced the promotion of ten senior attorneys and two senior counsel to membership in the firm. The new members come from nine offices and represent ten practice groups. The firm also promoted 21 associates to senior attorney; those lawyers come from 12 offices and nine practices. One third of the attorneys promoted this year are women.
The firm's new local members who were previously senior attorneys, their practice locations, and practice concentrations, include:
Birmingham office
Loukas Kalliantasis is a member of the Corporate Practice whose work focuses on advising and counseling clients on a wide range of business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions and general corporate representation.
Detroit office
Scott Garbo, a member of the Construction Practice, represents developers, lenders, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, design professionals, owners, and insurers on construction projects.
Rebecca Mancini is a member of the Immigration Practice who advises clients in complex corporate immigration matters across a variety of industries including automotive, engineering, technology, health care, energy, academic, and financial services on employment-based temporary and permanent visa categories.
Brian Shekell, a member of the Labor & Employment Practice, represents clients in labor law, employment litigation, and complex class action lawsuits involving wage and hour claims and retiree health care disputes.
Clark Hill's 21 new local senior attorneys include Nicholas Papasifakis in the Tax & Estate Planning Practice and Ellisse Thompson in Litigation, both in Birmingham. Other new senior attorneys include Steven Pacynski in Corporate and Stephen Campbell in EENR, both in Detroit.
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Dykema recently announced that its Executive Board elected nine new members to the firm effective January 1, 2020. Dykema's new local partners, their resident office, and practice descriptions are listed below:
Scott R. Kocienski - Taxation; Bloomfield Hills
Kocienski has experience in corporate, partnership and mergers and acquisitions tax matters, entity structuring, fund formation, tax credit planning, income tax planning, business succession and estate planning. He is also experienced advising clients on multistate tax planning, audits, dispute resolution, appeals, and litigation.
He earned his law degrees from the Michigan State University College of Law and Wayne State University Law School, and a B.S. from Western Michigan University.
John F. Rhoades - Business Litigation; Detroit
Rhoades is a trial-experienced commercial litigation attorney licensed to practice in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He represents automakers, suppliers, multinational corporations, and small businesses in a variety of commercial matters involving breach of contract, fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligence, tortious interference and unfair competition. He also regularly represents some of the nation's largest financial institutions in matters regarding creditors' rights, mortgage banking, consumer lending, loan enforcement, bankruptcy, fraudulent transfers, and post-judgment proceedings.
Rhoades earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and an A.B. from the University of Michigan.
Boyd White III - Products, Class Actions, & Professional Liability; Detroit
White has first chair trial experience with major automotive industry clients and has tried multiple cases to verdict during the past three years. He has experience in all aspects of commercial litigation including discovery, trial pleadings, depositions, preparation of witnesses for trial and conducting trials. White's civil trial experience is highlighted by his involvement in a week-long federal bench trial involving alleged banking losses suffered in a phishing scam, where he conducted direct examination of defense witnesses. Immediately prior to joining Dykema, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Oakland County Prosecutor, where he tried multiple cases to verdict including both bench and jury trials.
White earned his law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law and a B.T.A. from the University of Michigan.
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Jackson Lewis PC is pleased to announce the addition of Principals Alexandra LaCombe and Aimee Guthat, both formerly of Fragomen, to the firm's Detroit office.
LaCombe focuses her practice on all aspects of U.S. corporate immigration law, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and corporate immigration policy. She frequently represents clients in the automotive, aerospace and finance industries, as well as internationally recognized universities and research institutions.
LaCombe has also represented clients during government audits and counseled representatives of foreign companies on U.S. immigration matters, including start-up procedures and commercial contracts in preparation for transfer of foreign personnel to the U.S. She has represented several international corporations during restructuring and advised on immigration aspects of the transaction, collaborating with global counsel, and consulting on creation of immigration processes and procedures for the new entities.
LaCombe also handles non-immigrant visas and permanent residence sponsorship, as well as extraordinary ability cases in the arts, sciences and business, outstanding professor and researcher matters and all types of waivers. She earned her law degree from Columbia Law School and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Guthat focuses her practice on partnering with clients to develop strategic and operational planning for matters related to employment-based immigration and corporate compliance. She represents a wide range of corporate clients, from small and mid-size companies to large multinational organizations in a variety of industries, including original equipment manufacturers in the automotive industry, international financial services institutions and major product and technology suppliers within the automotive industry.
Her practice includes all aspects of U.S. immigration, including nonimmigrant visas, labor certification and permanent residence, citizenship, LCA and I-9 compliance and immigration support for corporate restructuring. Guthat earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and her B.A. from Western Michigan University.
Varnum is pleased to announce that Mallory Field, Kevin Macaddino, and Sam Vitale have been elected to the firm's partnership.
Field is a corporate and financial services attorney in the Novi office. She joined the firm as an associate in 2015 from a small business firm after clerking with the EPA in Washington, D.C. She focuses her practice on working with startup companies, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private offerings and other commercial transactions.
Field is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law and received her undergraduate degree from Albion College.
Macaddino focuses his practice on the area of commercial real estate with specialties in medical office buildings, apartments, industrial facilities and shopping centers. He assists his clients with land acquisition, entitlements, leasing, finance, construction and disposition.
Macaddino also assists his clients with entity formation and governance. Prior to joining Varnum as counsel in 2017, he formed and managed a boutique firm also specializing in commercial real estate. He received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from Wayne State University.
Vitale is a litigation and family law attorney based in the Novi office. He joined the firm in 2016 as an associate, after practicing for several years at a Southfield-based business firm. In his commercial litigation practice, Vitale represents both individuals and entities in a variety of matters, including construction litigation, shareholder oppression claims, breach of contract actions and property disputes. As a family law attorney, he assists clients dealing with issues of custody, parenting time issues and complex property matters.
Vitale is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School and received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.
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Hirzel Law PLC, based in Farmington, has opened an office in Traverse City "to better serve its northern Michigan clients," according to a spokesperson for the firm.
It also has announced that Michael McCulloch, an experienced attorney and litigator, has joined the firm and will be working out of the Traverse City office.
McCulloch focuses his practice on condominium law, real estate law, and estate planning and litigation. An alumnus of Michigan State University, McCulloch obtained his law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. McCulloch is Of Counsel to Hirzel Law, and has practiced for more than 35 years.
Hirzel Law is a boutique real estate firm that services the legal needs of condominium and homeowners' associations throughout Michigan. The firm is headquartered in the Freedom Plaza building on Grand River Avenue in Farmington.
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Lipson Neilson PC takes great pleasure in announcing the addition of nationally recognized Surety & Fidelity Law attorneys Phillip G. Alber, Jeffrey M. Frank, Omar J. Harb, and Jessica L. Wynn. All four attorneys were formerly with the Alber Frank PC law firm.
Frank, Harb, and Wynn will work in the firm's Bloomfield Hills, office; Alber will open a new office for the firm in Grosse Pointe.
Alber, Frank, and Harb are AV-Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and are designated as Surety Law "Super Lawyers" by their peers.
They are also known for their work in Construction Law, Commercial Litigation, and Probate Litigation.
Published: Mon, Jan 13, 2020
